Hunter finds crashed truck, passenger dead on road; driver fled

Authorities continue to investigate after a truck that was involved in a high-speed chase was later found crashed, with the driver having fled the scene and a passenger left dead on the roadway. 

According to the Cook County Sheriff's Office, the crashed vehicle was discovered on the 600 Road near the Sawbill Trail by a deer hunter around 6 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 7. First responders arrived at the scene and found a damaged Ford truck and a man dead on the roadway. 

The man on the roadway has been identified as William Jay Evans, 55, of Litchfield. 

Cook County investigators believe Evans was a passenger in the truck, with the driver, a 36-year-old man from Isabella, Minnesota, leaving the scene after he crashed. That man was found at a residence in Lake County where he was arrested and is now facing a pending charge of criminal vehicular homicide. 

The Ford truck from the crash scene was involved in an overnight high-speed police chase in Lake County. 

The driver admitted that he had been drinking alcohol, though results from a blood-alcohol test weren't yet available at the time of the press release. 

The incident remains under investigation and the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office will release an official cause of death for Evans at a later date.